The Space Between
by noisy96
Summary: Olivia is a wreck without Alex. Alex is back from WPP and engaged to Richard. Olivia is hurt because she feels abandoned. Alex needs her friend but doesn't know how to call her after so long.
1. Chapter 2

This is only my second story and I don't know where I'm going with it. I started the first paragraph in January and walked away from it. I thought I'd revisit it and see what I could do with it. I don't own any of these characters, if I did, I would not share. I promise.

 **Space Between**

 **1**

Olivia POV

Olivia groaned and wiped hair out of her face before opening her eyes. She could make out light colored hair attached to the woman in bed next to her. As the mother of all hangovers kicked in, she propped herself up one one elbow to see who was next to her. When she could finally make out her bed partner's face, she almost gasped. The woman, Amber, was a beat cop who had flirted mercilessly for nearly a year.

Clothes were strewn around the room and Liv was out of bed trying desperately to get dressed without making any noise. She walked around in the dimly lit room looking for her second shoe and located it under the bed. She left the bedroom and found her jacket in the living room. She shoved her arms in the sleeve and noticed a bottle of Advil on the coffee table with a glass of water. She shrugged and took two and a large drink before leaving the apartment.

She thought back to the night before after she hailed a cab. She could remember being at a cop bar with Elliot, Fin, and Munch. She could vividly remember Elliot and Munch both leaving. Fin hung around for awhile longer. They laughed about a lot but then he asked her the one question that always stopped her in her tracks. He had asked about Alex. She never got a chance to answer before he got a call and had to leave. The question had aggravated her. She kept drinking at the bar while she thought of Alex Cabot. Amber Myers appeared later and was flirting. Liv was attracted to her but only vaguely. Through the drunken haze of her memory, she remembered Amber inviting her home.

She paid the cabbie and walked into her building. It was barely 7am on Saturday morning so nobody was out in the halls. Since she wasn't on duty until that evening, she went into the apartment, drank a glass of water and spent the day dozing off on the couch and dreaming of tall blond women.

 **Alex POV**

Alex Cabot woke the way she did most days, feeling sore and disoriented. She raised her head stiffly and checked to see if Richard was still home. This should be the happiest time of her life. After coming home from WPP, she had met Richard and he had proposed fairly quickly. He seemed like a good choice but he wasn't what he had appeared to be. He had the perfect job, perfect hair and teeth, great personality, he had everything...including a perfectly insane temper.

Alex crawled out of bed and gingerly made her way into the bathroom. The large master bath was still imposing after living with Richard for 2 months. She stripped out of her pajamas and surveyed the damage from last night's argument. Small bruises marked her forearms and they were commonplace lately. She took notice of the healing bruises and their ugly yellowish colors that littered her back but began to cry when she saw the new dark angry bruising on her ribs and upper thighs. Her body shook with sobs and she sunk to the cold floor. Alex couldn't even remember what set him off last night. Maybe she was a little later than normal, maybe she didn't paid too much attention to the files she brought home after work.

The first time Richard hit her, they were both aggravated after a hard day at work. She listened to him rant about the idiots and bitches that worked for him. After an hour or so of the endless tirade, she got up to go to the bathroom. He growled, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Honey, I know you're upset but I need to be excused for a moment. When I get back, I will make you a drink."

He didn't say anything else so she left the room. After she came back into the living room, she made him a vodka tonic. He drank it in silence. Richard didn't say anything else, just went into the bedroom and showered. He spent the rest of his night in his study and Alex had known he was angry but she didn't seem to be able to help at all.

Her phone rang later in the evening. It was just a call from one of her ADAs. She spoke with Jim Steele briefly about one his cases. Before ending the call, Steele made some corny joke that made her laugh. She sat her phone down and pain in the back of her head. Richard began screaming about her cheating on him with Steele. He claimed she never giggled like that when he called. It was only one blow to her head, a slap really. That was how everything changed.

The next morning, he apologized. He swore it was the alcohol. He promised to stop having a drink on bad days. He even bought her flowers and paid for a spa weekend. She didn't believe her sweet Richard could be abusive so she forgave him. It was 3 days before his grabbed her by her arm and jerked her across a room. He didn't apologize that time and being jerked by her arm became common. He had only hit her on 3 occasions, the first time to the head. A week ago, he was angry because she worked late. He was drunk when she came home from work. He accused her of sleeping with every man at work. He accused her of sleeping with half of the DAs office. He called her a whore and used his fists on her ribs.

She stepped in the shower and let the hot water rain over her battered body. She dressed in track pants and a long sleeve T shirt. She wandered around the perfect apartment. It was much larger than her penthouse apartment. It's furnishings were more for show than anything. The art work on the walls was in good taste but it made Alex feel like she was in a museum, not a home. She walked through the kitchen and laughed because it seemed more suited for a chef, not somebody who could burn a stove down in less than an hour.

After a cup of coffee, Alex picked up her keys and made her way to her apartment. All of her furniture was sold when she entered WPP and had been replaced but barely used. Her old clothes were also sold. However, Olivia had made sure her mother received her pictures, keepsakes and other valuables. Alex had made the trip to her family home after being back from the program for only one day.

She walked around the penthouse thinking it seemed so small these days. All of the new furniture was covered. All of her towels were packed into boxes to keep out the dust. It seemed so empty and sad. Alex walked into the her former bedroom and found one of the boxes from her life before WPP. She opened it and found her old Harvard sweatshirt. She hadn't paid much attention to the boxes after she found her jewelry and personal papers.

The box in front of her held a lot more that just the sweatshirt. There was a shoebox inside of the box and she set that off to the side. She pulled out various things she had left at Olivia's apartment before she was shot. The contents were fairly random. At the bottom, she found a framed photograph she had forgotten about years ago. It was a picture of Alex and Olivia in the squadroom at the 1-6. It was just after a pretty hard case had ended in a conviction. Olivia threw her arm around Alex's shoulders and Munch snapped the picture with an evidence camera.

Alex stared at that picture for what felt like an eternity. She remembered that day well but she was flooded with so many memories of prosecuting for the 1-6. She was assaulted by memories of what life was like when she and Olivia were close friends. Tears streamed down her face as she realized she had become the one thing she never wanted to be, a victim. She sat the picture down and opened the shoebox. She smiled as she saw her old cellphone and charger. She walked across the room and plugged it in. She found a few hair ties, the money from her desk drawer she guessed, some figurines she had wanted but never bought...probably a gift from Olivia. Old birthday cards from coworkers. At the bottom of the stack of cards, there was an unopened one. She opened the envelope carefully. The card was pretty but said nothing more than Happy Birthday on the outside. She opened it and saw Olivia's familiar script.

 _Alex,_

 _I doubt a birthday as a different person is much to celebrate but I'm thinking of you. I miss you friend. It's only been a few days since you left but I feel lost without you. I wish I could have went with you but I know that wasn't possible. I don't even know what to say but I want you to know I love you and miss you. I will be thinking of you everyday until I know you're home safe._

 _Liv_

Alex put the card back into the envelope after reading it a few times. She checked her watch and realized time had gotten away from her and put everything away. As she put the box in her closet, she remembered the old phone. She picked up the old phone and turned it on. She smiled as she remembered getting her first camera phone. The phone booted up and showed a grainy color picture of her and her mother. She looked through the calls and the few texts she had received. Most were from Olivia. She read over them and tried to remember why she was so afraid to contact her old friend.

Her newer phone rang in her pocket and startled her. She fumbled for the phone and answered, "Cabot."

"Where are you?" Richard sounded angry and worried at the same time.

"I just went to my apartment to look for something. I'm leaving now."

"Just hurry up. I thought we could spend some time together today but you had to leave."

"I will be home as fast as I can. I'm sorry for not being there."

"Ok, Alex. I will see you when you decide to get here," he said before hanging up. Alex put her phone in her pocket and slowly made her way home to face another night of angry Richard.


	2. Chapter 1

**OIivia POV**

Liv woke that afternoon to her phone ringing. The caller ID showed it was Fin. Liv rolled her shoulders for a moment before answering. "Benson," she said tiredly.

"Hey, Liv. I just wanted to apologized for going ghost on you last night. You know how it gets with the ladies."

"It's alright. I was tired of staring at you anyway. I just thought it was mutual," she told him with a laugh.

"Liv, I could never get tired of staring at you. I just don't get any love for my troubles. So, did you go home alone because I saw this uni staring you down as I left?"

"Ugh, don't go there Fin," she warned. Fin teased her about some of her excursions but never knew exactly who was involved.

"Girl, I swear you pull more women than all of us guys combined. I'm gonna send Munch out with you and maybe you can help his bony ass get laid," Fin told her with a laugh.

"I'm going to hang up on you soon."

"Seriously, I was thinking about our conversation about Cabot. You never did tell me about Cabot. I just wanted to know why she never called us. Doesn't it seem strange to you? We were all tight, us and Cabot. I figured she would show up in the squad room as soon as she could."

Olivia had walked into her kitchen for a bottle of water while Fin was talking. She leaned against the counter and told him, "Man, I don't know. I thought we were close. There was the squad, us with Cabot. It never seemed the same after she was gone. I thought she would call, I don't know if I could ever understand."

"Somebody told me something awhile back. They said you two were together, but it was just gossip. I guess part of me wonders if that was true and then I think, maybe that's why."

"Fin, I've told you to quit listening to gossip. Munch will lead you wrong every time."

"Okay, Liv. I'm just saying it hurts. It felt like we had a family going. I thought she would want to come back to it."

"I did, too," she told him quietly. "I never imagined she would chose to not come back. I just figured we had been through so much together that it was going to happen. I guess we didn't matter so much to her."

"Do you think she will ever reach out to us?"

"I don't know. We used to be close, Fin. We weren't together but I felt like she was my closest friend. Pretending she was dead was hard. Knowing she was alive but in WPP wasn't as hard. It's nearly impossible knowing she's close but doesn't want any contact."

The conversation continued for a few moments before Fin decided to end the call. Liv passed the rest of the afternoon doing her laundry before her shift.

 **Alex POV**

Alex made it back home as quickly as she could after Richard called her. She silently prayed he wouldn't be as angry as he sounded. Not angry, menacing. Alex cursed herself for leaving. She cursed herself for wanting to remember a time that no longer existed. She cursed herself for missing her life from before. Mainly, she cursed herself for trusting Richard to be such a perfect man.

She rode the elevator to their penthouse apartment. She begged it to go faster but wished it would malfunction and trap her inside. The ride took less than one minute and then she watched the doors open. Once inside the apartment, she saw Richard and wanted to run. He marched over to her and shoved her roughly into a wall. When she fell, he pulled her up and slapped her across the her face.

"Richard, Stop!" She begged. He punched her in the stomach. Alex doubled over in pain, coughing and wretching. Richard turned and left her standing just inside the living room. He picked up his glass of whatever alcohol he chose for the evening and drained the glass. He held the empty glass for a moment and just glared at her.

"Baby, I can explain. I was looking for something. I thought it was in my apartment and it wasn't. It's here," she told him frantically.

The empty glass flew at her, hitting the wall behind her. Pieces of glass landed on and around her. He approached her again and grabbed her roughly. He shook her and her head hit the wall behind her. Alex felt dizzy and saw the edges of her vision begin to darken.

"And what was it? What was so importand to take you away for an entire day? What did you search so hard for in your old apartment? Was it condoms to use with one of the men you're fucking while I work? Or was it a morning after pill because you are a nasty pregnant whore and you don't even know who fathered your bastard child?"

Alex didn't get a chance to answer before he slammed her head into the wall. The slaps and punches blurred together. Eventually, she lost consciousness on the floor of her living room. Richard finished another glass of scotch before kicking her one last time. He changed clothes and left the apartment.

She regained consciousness slowly. She mentally kicked herself for turning her head when she felt nauseated. Alex tried to move herself into a sitting position but collapsed back on the floor. She had no clue where Richard was but she didn't want to make any noise. After a few moments, she managed to sit. Her lips were split and swollen. Her ribs were extremely swollen, so much that breathing was painful. Tiny cuts littered her hands and arms.

After several minutes, Alex pulled herself off the floor. Standing upright was painful and she had to use the wall to remain on her feet. She struggled to the bathroom and began washed her face and rinsed the blood out of her mouth. Richard's absence in the apartment had ocurred to her and she was grateful for it. Alex turned on the shower and spent the next 15 minutes cowering under the spray.

She was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt. Richard would not approve of this outfit but it was all she could manage. She knew her head was bleeding before the shower and was worried about two of the deeper cuts on her arm. Alex hadn't seen her face, her head had been lowered as she walked to the sink. The mirror over the dresser showed the swollen eye and gash on her cheekbone. While sitting on the bed, trying to tie her sneakers, she saw one eye swollen nearly closed and tears began to flow down her face.

 **Olivia POV**

"Hey Liv, we got a call from Bellevue Hospital. They have a vic who is refusing to give any information. She was assaulted but won't say much," Elliot tells her after hanging up the phone at his desk. He stands and grabs his keys out of his desk drawer.

Once at the hospital, Dr. Conners met them at the reception desk. "Detectives, I'm a little stumped about this one. The patient, Emily Johnson, came in earlier. She's approximately 30 years old. She will not give us a date of birth or any other information. Mrs. Johnson is obviously the victim of a violent attack but won't give us any information other than her name and address," she told them as they group walked through the emergency room. She stopped outside of a door and gestured for them to enter.

Olivia took a deep breath before entering the room. She saw a woman lying on a hospital bed with a bandage on her cheekbone and a very swollen eye. She noticed the sling holding her arm stable and the various bandages on her arms. Olivia pulled a chair closer to the bed and began her introduction.

"Hi, Emily. I'm Detective Benson and this is my partner, Detective Stabler. We are from the Manhattan Special Victim's Unit. We need to ask you a few questions if that's alright." Emily nodded and Elliot began the interview.

"Emily, like my partner said, I'm Detective Stabler. We want to find the person who did this to you and we are need to get some basic information from you first. Could you tell me your date of birth?"

"July 23, 1974. This isn't necessary," she mumbled quietly. Elliot asked a few more questions but didn't get much more than nods. He offered to get Olivia a cup of coffee and left the room.

"Emily, I want to help you. We want to help you. In order for us to help you, I need some help from you," Olivia told her quietly. Emily still held her head down. She didn't acknowledge Olivia.

 **Alex POV**

Alex knew the police would get involved. She knew SVU would be contacted. It wasn't what she wanted but that was irrelevant. Alex only wanted treatment not an investigation. She thought the fake name and her old address would be enough to make her believable but hospitals ask too many questions. She had dodged the majority of the nurse's questions during triage. She feigned one spell of being unconscious. Mostly, she refused to answer.

Earlier, the doctor had said she had a significant concussion. After stitching the cuts on her arm, 20 stitches total, the doctor asked how did it happen. Alex acted as if nobody was speaking. During the x-ray of her arm and ribs, tears slid down her cheeks but she was silent. When the gash on her cheek was cleaned and bandaged, she ignored the questions by the well-meaning nurse. The nurse brought ice packs for her ribs and eye while Alex remained silent.

When Manhattan's finest showed in her room, Alex was ready to walk. She was still waiting to hear about her arm and ribs but the majority of the problems had been tended to. Being a victim is hard but when she heard Olivia's voice, it was too much. Elliot had asked her birthdate and she gave her own birthdate. The address she had given the hospital was for Alex Cabot, not Emily Johnson. She had realized her mistake but was going to run with it.

Olivia was quiet for a moment after Alex had ignored her. They both sat quietly. Olivia was at her notes. After several moments, Liv said, "I used to have a friend. She lived at the same address as the one you gave the hospital. It's ironic but she even had the same birthdate as you told my partner."

Once again, Olivia was met with silence. She stood and moved closer to the bed. She leaned down next to it. Alex was staring at her legs when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Alex looked to her side and saw Olivia kneeling next to her. Brown eyes met blue eyes and it seemed as though time stopped for a brief second.

"Alex, help me. Who did this? Please let me help you."

"Detective, I can't. I don't want to do this. I came her for treatment, not an inquisition into any events of this evening," Alex told her curtly.

"I don't know who did this to you. I want to know, Alex. Help me."

 **Olivia POV**

"What if you can't?" Alex whispered so softly. Tears were threatening to fall and Olivia felt like her heart was breaking.

"Let me try. Please, Alex. Let us try to help," Olivia begged.

"You can't help me. I did this to myself, Detective. I shouldn't have left the house today."

"Alex, this isn't your fault. Whoever did this to you, that person is a criminal. Let me arrest him."

"Liv, I can't. Don't make me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! They make me have a big cheesy smile. I did notice I kept changing Richard's name in the first chapter so I went back and fixed it I think. So embarrassing. I am enjoying this writing this so please keep those reviews coming. Throw in a suggestion or two and I will be happy to attempt to work it into my story.**

 **Elliot POV**

Elliot returned with a cup of coffee and could hear Olivia nearly begging the woman to let her help. He couldn't hear the vic's responses from the hall. Elliot waited next to the doorway for a few moments. He waited to enter when it seemed the conversation had ended.

"Detective Benson," he said formally. Olivia turned to him and she almost looked as if she were about to cry herself. He crossed the room and handed her the coffee. Emily looked the same as when he left so he was a little confused about Olivia's reaction. They had seen much worse in their years together. Olivia didn't speak but she did walk out of the room so he followed her.

"El," she started, "her name isn't Emily Johnson."

"Okay..." He started to speak and paused. "Liv, she doesn't look like a working girl. She doesn't seem to be a run of the mill vic. Why use an alias?"

Olivia looked at him for a moment and responded, "I thought I was crazy when I read the address but when she told us her birthdate, it matched the address and the slender build with blond hair."

"I meet a lot of slender blonds, Liv. So do you. I don't know their addresses though or their birthdates. Stop being cryptic."

Olivia sighed and told him, "Alex Cabot, Elliot. That's Alex Cabot sitting in that bed."

Elliot moved around Olivia into the doorway to look at the victim. Alex was no longer looking at her knees. Elliot walked into the room and Olivia followed him. He didn't get close to the bed because the ice queen looked petrified.

"Alex," he said quietly.

"Hello Detective Stabler," she mumbled.

Elliot felt the strangest type of anger he had ever experienced. He wanted to kill the perp, an unknown individual who liked to beat women. He felt anger toward Alex for not calling them before it got to this point. He felt useless because killing a perp would land him in prison and being angry with Alex would not help anything.

"Alex, I've got to call the precinct. I will be right outside. Liv will be with you so please answer her questions." Elliot got a small nod and left the room. He called Cragen at home while he sat outside the hospital.

 **Olivia POV**

"Alex, let's go over the basics first. Do you still live in your apartment?" Olivia knew she didn't after speaking with the doorman months before.

"Detective, I can't help you. I don't want to help you. I just want to find out about my arm and then go home." Cabot seemed almost angry with Olivia.

"This is going to keep happening if you don't talk to me. Hospital visits, they will become part of your normal life, Alex. Do you want to spend you evenings getting patched up just to go back into a war zone?" Benson wasn't certain this was domestic violence but some of the bruising on her arms appeared to be healing and that did suggest repeated abuse.

"Detective Benson, there isn't anything you can tell me that I haven't heard you say to one of your victims. What's the big trust earning speech today? Are you going to tell me he doesn't love me. This isn't love. That he's sick. That I can get past this. What is it, Detective?" Alex turned her face away from Olivia.

"Alex, we are friends. We were like family, the whole squad and you. We want to protect you. This should never happen to a woman but if I walk away and while knowing it's happening to one of my family members, I won't be able to live with myself."

Olivia was met with silence so she continued, "I don't understand why you would want to let a monster walk. He feeds off your pain, Alex. I bet he wasn't even there when you left. He probably went out for some fun. You don't deserve to feel pain. You don't deserve to feel afraid."

Alex looked at Olivia. The tears that flowed from her eyes nearly broke Olivia's heart. Olivia moved closer to the bed and handed Alex a tissue and then wiped an errant tear off her own face. She waited for Alex to speak and after several moments, she was ready to give her some space.

 **Elliot POV**

Captain Cragen was not at all hesistant to put out an attempt to locate BOLO for Richard Lechman. There was no warrant but it was the most they could do without one. Cragen told Elliot there was no harm in bringing him in regards to the assault on his fiance. Elliot was happy to get that much since Alex hadn't named any possible suspect. He didn't know what she had told his partner but he hoped Cabot would be a cooperative witness. Fin and Munch were both called in to begin finding as much as they could on Lechman. Casey Novak was the next on his list to call.

She answered with a curt, "Novak," on the second ring.

"Hey, Casey, it's Elliot Stabler."

"Ugh, what do need, Elliot," she said with a little laugh. She had a habit of teasing them when they called her on a weekend.

"We caught one and it's looks like a pretty open and shut DV. I'm not with them but Liv just texted saying that's what she believes. The vic isn't denying it but she isn't being helpful."

"Ok? What can I do to help?" Novak was a little confused.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to give you a heads up that the vic works for the DA's office. Another prosecutor," he told her. "Liv is trying to get a statement from her now."

"Detective Stabler, tell me who the vic is."

"Alex Cabot. She gave the hospital an alias. We were even in the room but she wouldn't show us her face. Olivia caught it. She is ok for the most part. Lost of bruises, some stitches. Maybe some broken ribs and her arm."

"Do you think it would be wise for me to visit her? I'd like to but we aren't very close. I've only seen her in passing over the past months," Casey asked him cautiously.

"Not now, she really wouldn't even speak to me. That's why I left Olivia with her. They were speaking a little earlier when I left for coffee."

"Thanks for the heads up, Elliot. Please keep me posted."

He ended the call and sat on the bench while he waited to hear from his partner.

 **Alex POV**

Olivia spoke to her, despite the anger she received. She gave her speech flawlessly and without any show of hurt feelings. It calmed her considerably that Alex could lash out.

"Liv," she said quietly, "I don't want to be a victim. I don't want this." Tears rolled down her battered face.

"Victims get hurt, Alex. Everybody I meet on the job is either a victim or perp. Some of them don't remain victims. They become fighters. They become advocates. They are survivors. Nobody has to stay stuck in the victim mind set. You don't have to be a victim after today. If you talk to me, if you tell me who did this and are willing to testify against this hump, you will not be a victim."

"I don't know, Liv." It came out as a whisper. That statement, the uncertainty of it, was nearly palpable.

"Alex, do you remember working with us? You fought for so many people, you walked them through some of the hardest days of their lives. You walked through a lot of hard days yourself. Do you feel like the victim of an assassination attempt? I'm betting you don't. It was just something that happened to you. You went through so much but you helped put that gun man away. You weren't a victim during that trial. When I looked at you, I only saw my friend, my stronger than steel friend."

"Richard," Alex said slowly. "Richard gets angry when he drinks. He gets angry when I'm late or if I leave without telling him where I'm going. He doesn't seem to be able to stop, Liv."

"This isn't the first time, then."

"No, but today was worse than before. I went to my old apartment. I have a few boxes and I just wanted to look for a necklace. I didn't know what happened to it and I got distracted. I just lost track of time. I should've thought ahead and just told him I was going."

"A person should never have to report their comings and goings to avoid being assaulted, Alex."

"We were supposed to go out for dinner. We had an argument last night, it ended so badly. He wanted to go to take me out to make up for it. I should've been home, Liv. If I would've been there, I wouldn't have to be here now."

 **Olivia POV**

Olivia felt her stomach turn as she listened to Alex try to convince her of her own guilt in the assault. Alex had always been so strong and independent. This woman in front of her was nearly like stranger.

"I'm not sorry you are here now, Alex. I'm only sorry you are in pain. So, after you came home late, tell me about that."

"Richard was seemed ready to explode on the phone. I remember praying the elevator would malfunction and trap me inside of it. When I walked in, he was drinking. I'm not sure what it was he was drinking. I tried to explain about looking for something in my apartment. He started accusing me of looking for condoms because he says I sleep around. He asked if I was looking for a morning after pill for a child. That was after he threw me into a wall. He was so angry, Liv. He punched me and he threw a glass at me. I don't remember much after. I know he slammed my head into a wall and I passed out at some point. I don't even know how I hurt my arm."

"Sweetie, you didn't hurt your arm, he did that."

When I woke up, I was on the floor and it was quiet. I, it took forever, but I went and took a shower. I was in so much pain."

Liv had sat as calmly as she could. She didn't want to ask the next question but she knew she had to ask it. "Alex, were you showering to wash away evidence?"

"No, I was dressed when I woke so I'm pretty sure there was none to wash away."

"Has he ever sexually assaulted you?"

Alex seemed to shrink on the bed. She wiped her eyes with the tissue and nodded her head.

"Would you be willing to let the doctors perform a rape kit? I can be here with you."

"You wouldn't mind?" Alex asked her quietly.

"Not at all, Alex."

 **Elliot POV**

It was nearly midnight when Elliot and Fin walked into Alex and Richard's penthouse apartment. Elliot shook his head and thought, a guy can have such a nice home, so much money and still have no class. Elliot noticed the glass on the floor along with some blood. They cleared the apartment and motioned for the crime scene photographer to enter.

The photographer took pictures of the glass and blood. He took pictures of the crooked painting on the wall above the blood. The photographer noticed a wad of hair on the floor and was taking a picture of it when Elliot heard slurred speech in the hall.

"Wha do you think you're doin in here?" The man asking was in a dress shirt and jacket. His tie was hanging loosely around his neck. He wasn't as tall as Elliot but he was a little broader in the chest.

"Sir, is this your residence?" Fin asked him.

"Why else would I be here?"

"Are you Richard Lechman?"

The man turned to run but in his drunken state, turned too far and walked into the doorway. Fin grabbed him and cuffed him quickly.

"I don' know why you're messin with me, man. I just want to go to bed. Let me go, so I can get some sleep. Where's Alex?"

Elliot approached Richard quickly and said, "Mrs. Cabot is in the hospital. Maybe if you hadn't beat on her, she would be here instead of us."

 **Olivia POV**

Olivia watched Alex as she slept. On occassion, Alex would moan or whimper in pain and Olivia would try her best to soothe her. She kept her phone in her hand throughout the evening. Cragen had called to tell her an all call had went out, it listed Richard as a person who needed to be located. Later, he called to tell her Novak signed a warrant off Cabot's statement. Novak called to offer her sympathies to Alex.

The best call came around 2am. It was Elliot saying they had a very drunken Richard in custody. Questioning would begin when he was sober. ME Warner would be on standby to examine his hands. Elliot did say they had Alex's clothes but finding semen on any older clothes would only suggest consensual sex between two people in relationship.

The rape kit did show obvious signs of trauma. There was tearing. Liv had tried to block out the conversation during the exam but she heard words like tearing and extensive bruising. The doctor did say some of the bruising was in various stages of healing. It angered Olivia to know some sick bastard had hurt the woman she would be willing to die for.

 **Alex POV**

For nearly 3 months, she had been battered and beaten. She forgot what it felt like to go to sleep without any fear of being pushed out of bed. She forgot how to relax when somebody else was in the room. Alex finally felt rested and woke in the hospital room. She felt cold but not uncomfortably so. She was a little hungry but had no clue when breakfast would be brought to her. She noticed Olivia, sitting in the chair next to her bed. She was sleeping with her head leaning against the bed.

Alex was relieved the night before when the nurse came in to discuss the rape kit. A simple blood draw was used to test for pregnancy, that was negative. There were no diseases detected either. Other than the physical injuries, she was fine. She received a card for a rape crisis counselor and plenty of encouragement to call the counselor or any counselor of her choosing.

Olivia seemed to sense Alex was awake because she woke. She sat up in the chair and stretched. First her shoulders and then her neck and arms. She looked around the room and seemed to remember where she was when she saw Alex looking at her. Olivia gave Alex a small smile and excused herself to the small restroom attached to the hospital room.

"Good morning, Alex. You sleep ok?"

"I guess I did. I know they woke me up a lot but I seemed to fall back to sleep rather quickly. It surprised me."

"I wasn't surprised. I figured you had been through enough to warrant a good night's rest," Liv said absently.

Olivia helped Alex out of bed moments later so she could use the restroom. Alex almost cried when she saw her reflection in the small mirror. Her eye was still nearly swollen shut and varying shades of reddish and dark purple. Her lip was very swollen still with a noticeable split. She looked down at the splint on her arm and shook her head. How did this become her life?


End file.
